The story is told at a distance, is quite vague and meanders along. There is no real connection between the three stories of the theatre and the actors, and the death of Gricey and his secret life as a fascist., and Joan trying to come to terms with the death of her husband and her love affair with Frank Stone. The back story of Frank Stone could have been interesting, but it doesn't get developed. Each of the plots could have been interesting, but it is all held so much at a distance that the links are not put in place and the plot development is poorly structured. Rewrite the book and it could have promise.

I have never read anything by Patrick McGrath before and found this an intriguing read. It is set in 1947, with Britain battered and poverty stricken after the war. Joan Grice is the ‘Wardrobe Mistress,’ of the title, who runs the wardrobe of the Beaumont Theatre. Her daughter, Vera, is an actress, married to former impresario, Julius Glass. When we first meet Joan, it is shortly after the death of her husband, actor Charlie Grice, at a funeral attended by much of the theatre community.

Indeed, this novel will undoubtedly interest lovers of the theatre; narrated as it is by a female chorus, who look on at unfolding events. The atmosphere of post-war London is also well realised, with rationing tightening and the city frozen and bomb damaged. Joan is grieving deeply for Charlie and feels that she first hears his voice and then glimpses him in his understudy, Daniel Francis (whose real name is Frank Stone).

As we learn about what happened before Charlie died – including Joan’s guilt that she sent him to speak to their daughter’s husband, when he had the accident which killed him – there is also the developing relationship between Joan and Frank. With clothing hard to come by, Joan begins to offer Frank her husband’s suits. While altering them, she comes across something which causes her great disquiet.

Overall, I felt this novel was a little confusing. The really interesting part of the book, for me, started quite far in- when we uncover some of the back stories of the characters and Joan realises her husband’s fascist past. As she realises how little she knew the man she was married to, we hear of the time before the war, with Oswald Mosley and the BUF, hear the stories of Jewish refugees and see Joan’s changing views of her marriage. This would be a good choice for reading groups, with lots to discuss and I really loved the background and the vivid depiction of London in the aftermath of the war. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

Set in London in 1947, people are still adjusting to a post-war life, and Joan Grice, the wardrobe mistress of the title, is also coming to terms with suddenly losing her husband, Charlie. He was the love of her life, so she struggles and becomes convinced he is coming back to her through another actor, Frank Stone.

Due to this she develops a relationship with Stone, but when she finds a fascist pin hidden under her late-husband’s suit lapel, it makes her question everything she knew about him, especially as she is Jewish. She is no longer so keen to believe Charlie is in Frank’s body trying to communicate with her, although he does continue to haunt her thoughts.

Joan is an interesting character, no warmth as such, but we are sensitive to her grief and shock at discovering her husband was not who she thought he was. As the book progresses, she turns more frequently to ‘Uncle Alcohol’, to get through the days and becomes more insular as she starts to cope less and less with the reality of her situation.

We also get a fascinating look into the world of London theatre, Joan and Charlie’s daughter, Vera, is an actress and rehearsing for her play, The Duchess of Malfi, (which also features Frank Stone) and we are not only given a glimpse into how a theatre production comes together, but we are told a lot about the plot: it is a tragedy that sees the Duchess marry below her class when her husband dies, which incurs the wrath of her brothers and a violent and bloody outcome.

I enjoyed how The Wardrobe Mistress managed to juxtapose the ordinariness of a cold post-war London winter with the dramatic story arc of Joan, heightened by the Duchess of Malfi story unfolding on the stage alongside. This became clearer to me once I’d realised that the narration of the book was taking on the form of a Greek Chorus, looking in on the situation with a deep knowledge of everyone’s thoughts and actions. At first this was a little confusing, when an aside would randomly cut in, “Yes, a very nice symmetry, life and the drama, that’s what he saw; but we know what happens when symmetries appear, don’t we ladies?” Initially, it felt like it was a friend of the characters narrating and the asides were a little off-putting in places.

There is a sense of simmering tension throughout the novel, which wonderfully reflects the era the book is set in and you know it is building up to a narrative climax. Given the slow and steady pace throughout, the last few chapters do rapidly ramp up the action. However, I couldn’t help but feel that Joan’s character was not quite developed enough so, for me, the ending felt a little out of the blue.

Overall though, this was an enjoyable book, McGrath has a very eloquent writing style that is a pleasure to read.

Joan Grice, the wardrobe mistress for a theatre company, has just lost her husband who is an actor, and is grieving. Her grief takes on an extra dimension when the young man, Frank Stone, takes over her husband's role in the play and seems to embody him. They form an intimate relationship as Joan struggles with her grief. Set in the years following the end of World War 2, it is narrated by the Chorus. One day Joan finds an ominous badge pinned behind the lapel of one of her husband's coats that completely changes her view of him and their marriage. The novel explores grief in all its forms, from 'seeing' and 'hearing' her dead husband to re-evaluating their time together. However, I thought it took too long to get to the really interesting part where she finds the badge - about half way through the book. From there the narrative takes on the issues that emanated from WW2 and which still resonate today.

A fantastic and engrossing read with rich writing!

Patrick McGrath's latest novel is set in the London theatre community in the years right after the Second World War. The "Wardrobe Mistress" of the title is one Joan Grice, who is grieving following the sudden death of her actor husband Charlie Grice, a leading figure in Shakespearean drama. It is a difficult time for her, especially as the circumstances of his tragic demise are unclear - Joan's son-in-law Julius, husband of her daughter Vera (also an actress) might actually have had a hand in the accident. To complicate matters, Joan starts to believe that "Gricey" might have possessed a young actor who has taken on his roles. And then there's the matter of Gricey's shocking, Fascist past...

McGrath is known as one of the leading contemporary authors of Gothic fiction, and this is what drew me to the book in the first place. I must say I was rather disappointed in this regard, as this is more of a "period drama" or historical/psychological thriller than your typical Gothic novel. That said, the work does feature a number of the genre's tropes - there is an ambiguous "haunting" which could be interpreted both literally and psychologically and there's also the theme of a secret past which rears its ugly head.

What irked me most however, was the novel's narrative voice. The tale is ostensibly related by an unnamed minor member of the theatrical world, but it is soon evident that this "third party" is an omniscient narrator who takes on the role of a Greek chorus. It is an original idea and one which fits nicely in a tale about the theatre. However, I often found it to be rather artificial and intrusive. Somehow, the idea of a "cockney" Greek chorus didn't work out for me.

On the plus side, the novel is effective in conveying the life and emotions of actors as they fashion and shape their on-stage role. The parallelism between a production of "The Duchess of Malfi" (in which Vera plays the lead role) and the tragic tale of the "wardrobe mistress" is also beautifully done. Indeed, whilst for me the novel was entertaining but unremarkable, theatre buffs would probably enjoy it immensely.

Excellent book. Great main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.

Filled with bits of historical fiction (1940s London theatre, WWII aftereffects, British Union of Fascists) and elements of a ghost story, this book is a lot of things - most essentially a quick and very entertaining read. The Wardrobe Mistress of the title is widow Joan Grice, whose recently deceased husband, actor Charlie "Gricey" Grice, may or may not have actually departed. Patrick McGrath offers readers plenty of questions to mull over, many having to do with "iniquitous duplicity": is it possible to fully hide ones true self? what dramatic purpose is the narrating female chorus meant to fulfill? how does daughter Vera maintain a relationship with her husband's roommate? is being "wistfully attracted to the idea of a glorious German past" really a thing? what does Guerlain's Jicky smell like?

McGrath insinuates you into the world of theatre remarkably well. Told by a woman of a ghostly chorus, THE WARDROBE MISTRESS takes 1947 London as its backdrop, UK fascism as its back story, but a terrific melodrama of a grieving theatrical widow as centre stage. Sad but also gruesome fun in its way.